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Category Archives: Skiing

If you’re looking for a scenic Alpine ski getaway, look no further than Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadow. Located in gorgeous Lake Tahoe, between Tahoe City and Truckee the Alpine Meadows Resorts is the perfect choice for couples, families, or seasoned skiers looking for a new challenge. The chalet-like cabins and friendly staff make visitors want to return again and again.

Alpine Meadow and Squaw Valley have along shared many connections the most prominent one being the shared view. Visitors can see one mountain from the other one However, the two resorts are definitely separate. Visitors must hold distinct ski passes and the resorts themselves have very different cultures on squawalpine.com. However, that is no longer the case as Squaw Valley’s owners recently acquired Alpine Meadow in 2011, merging the two fabulous resorts into one.

This resort has something for every level of skier and snowboarder, with easy progression slopes to bowls and more than one hundred trails of varying levels and lengths spread throughout the 2400 acre resort resort. There are also groomed runs and mountain adventures that fit any level expertise. One largest ski resorts in the United States, Squaw Valley was the location of the rememberable 1960 Winter Olympics, boasting more than forty lifts and 270 trails. The resort attracts from than half-a-million visitors a year.

A scenic aerial tramway carries visitors up the 2000 foot to the High Camp, located at 8200 foot elevation above sea level. The peak at Granite Chief is near the legendary Donner Pass and receives up to forty feet of snowfall per winter. Aside from the fabulous skiing conditions, reset-goers can also enjoy skating, frisbee golf, shopping, and four-star dining. While winter is the prime season to visit Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadow, the summer also brings several exhilarating events. July brings accomplished musicians and yogis. Plus, for writers both pro and aspiring the summer also offers the Squaw Valley Community of Writers. This is a forty-five year tradition that draws writers of all genres. In addition to the artistic offerings, the resort also provides fun for those who enjoy their libations with their music with the Brews, Jazz, and Funk Fest, and Paws and Bluedays.

While the scenic beauty of the resort is a haven for skiers and lovers of wintertime sports, the possibilities are limited only by imagination.

When Andy Wirth woke up in October 2013, he did not know that the events of that day would change his life completely. He was going for skydiving that fateful afternoon as usual. He has always been a good player of the game for years, and playing gives him the satisfaction he longs for. While in the sky he started looking for a place to land, but unfortunately, he could not get any. Because he was already too far from home, he decided to land in the nearest place he could. Unfortunately, he found himself in a vineyard. The place had wires and sharp pointed ends that caused trauma in his right arm.

Andy was fortunate enough to get rescued in time before losing his life. He used his skills to stay alive in the jungle, and all the time, he was calm, until help arrived. The arm was severely injured, and to stay alive, several surgeries had to be performed. His wife and family were supportive all through the time while he was in the hospital. During this time, he appreciated what family means. He was discharged after three months, but he wasn’t able to play as he had anticipated. He had to undergo a lot of therapy to get healed completely.

He was however allowed to continue working. The RENO authority appointed him to work as the CEO and president of Squaw Valley, an organization found in Lake Tahoe. In this position, his, main responsibility was to ensure that the resort is the best for tourist attraction all over the world. He was also given the responsibility of taking care of the whole Lake Tahoe communities, improving the infrastructure around the area.

However, while working for Squaw Valley, the journey has not been a walk in the park. The skydiver has had to endure tough times while working as the CEO of the resort. The first challenge was a lack of rains in the whole Lake Tahoe area. This meant that Squaw Valley could not operate as usual. The people around the area had started several businesses that depended on the resort, and they too were affected when the rains did not come as expected. To add more salt in the injury, the area was not politically stable all through -out the past year. There was a group advocating for the incorporation of Olympic Valley, the place that houses Squaw Valley and several other resorts. This affected the whole community, including Andy Wirth.

Andy Wirth was born in 1963 in West Germany. He then came over to the United States and got a Bachelor of Science from Colorado State University. He worked extensively in the outdoors in Colorado and New Mexico. He served as a ranger in the Rocky Mountain National Park and San Pedro Parks Wilderness Area. He also worked to put out wildfires in norther New Mexico. After this, for over 20 years, Wirth worked in marketing for the company Steamboat, which is now known as Intrawest. It was due to all of these years of experience that he was asked to be the CEO and President of Squaw Valley ski resort. He led the resort through 70 million dollars worth of upgrades to their facilities. He also led the acquisition of nearby Alpine Meadows Ski Resort in 2011.

Andy Wirth is also well known for his philanthropic efforts. He supports several local Tahoe organizations that are geared towards environmental and community service concerns. These organizations include, The Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation Community House, Girls on the Run Sierra Chapter and the Human Society of Tahoe Truckee. Wirth has also served on the boards of several organizations, including National Ski Areas Board of Directors, Tahoe Fund Board of Directors and Lake Tahoe Winter Olympics Committee.

Recently, Andy Wirth has been embroiled in an argument about the land authority. The Reno Gazette-Journal covered the highlights of the story in a recent article. In the story, the RGJ explained that there were parties who had been interested in incorporating Olympic Valley. They raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to push for this change. Their argument was the the people of Olympic Valley should get a say in what happens to their land rather than the Placer Country Board of Supervisors, who all live in the Sacramento Suburbs.

However, Andy Wirth felt differently. He also spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in an effort to oppose incorporation. Wirth explained that he only wanted to do what was best for the city. But, he warned, if incorporation does occur, residents and businesses will be forced to pay much higher taxes. There would also be fewer of the services that they depend on every year, like road maintenance and snow plowing. The other problem with incorporation that concerned Wirth was the fact that they would no longer be a part of their surrounding community, with whom they pool resources in order to face regional challenges, especially expensive services that are required when living in the climate and environment that they are situation in. Andy Wirth was able to get his point across and incorporation did not go through.

In a recent op-ed piece in the Reno Gazette-Journal newspaper Andy Wirth, the President and CEO of Squaw Valley Ski Holdings came out in full support of the Reno City Council’s recent unanimous vote to support clean power. This important vote follows on Reno’s already successful track record of installing 730 streetlights, and 781 pedestrian signals using energy efficient LED lights. Additionally, the city has contracted with an energy provider to install and operate ten solar arrays totaling 1.027 MW providing the City with 18-20% of its power needs.

Wirth is a strong supporter of this move, calling the decision for clean power apolitical. The benefits of sustainable energy production include improved air, drought mitigation and an overall reduction in the carbon footprint left by the region. Additionally, Wirth points out that the economic impact of clean power has been important in bringing high-wage jobs to the area and called on the US Congress to follow suit.

Andy Wirth has always had a strong affinity for the outdoors. He has worked as a backcountry guide and forest firefighter before beginning his career in resort marketing at Steamboat Springs resort. During his tenure there, he was consistently promoted and achieved the title of chief marketing officer and executive vice president of sales and marketing. After twenty years with Steamboat Wirth accepted a position with Squaw Valley Resorts as President and CEO. Under previous management by the Cushing family, Squaw Valley had fallen out of favor with many skiers and Wirth set out to invest some $80 million in facility and customer experience upgrades re-elevating the resort to one of the top ski destinations in the world.

Not content with just being one of the top 25 resort marketing executives in the world according to the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International, Wirth spends a lot of his time promoting the Reno-Lake Tahoe area by serving as the chairperson for the regional airport authority and raising money for combat-wounded Navy Seals. In 2014, he was named as the Citizen of the Year by Disabled Sports USA. His disability was due to a skydiving accident where he almost lost his right arm.